ECZ urged to prepare adequately for this year’s exams

General Education Minister John Phiri

Government has urged the examinations council of Zambia to prepare adequately for this year’s examinations.
General education minister Dr. John Phiri says he will not be forced to apologize for any inconvenience caused as a result of  administering computer studies practical exams at awkward hours.
Speaking during the 2016 examination performance review meeting and the launch of the 2016-2020 examinations council of Zambia strategic plan and financial regulations, Dr. Phiri says there is urgent need for the council to prepare adequately.
And Dr. Phiri says the purpose of the performance review meeting is to scrutinize the performance and conduct of examinations covering grades 7, 9 and 12.
He says the performance of learners in the 2016 examinations was comparable with previous years saying at grade 7 level, the results showed that the proportion of candidates obtaining division 2 has been increasing since 2013.
Dr. Phiri says learners performed better in the practical subjects compared to theoretical ones re-affirming the decision of the ministry of general education to have a 2-tier curriculum which covers both the academic and vocational pathways.
Meanwhile Dr. Phiri says the 2016/2020 strategic plan is a very important document that will continue with the transformation agenda through innovations and reforms.
And ECZ executive director Dr. Brian Chilala says the launch of the 2016-2020 strategic plan would, among other key areas, provide access for people to conduct online verification of certificates.
Dr. Chilala says this will in turn reduce congestion at the ECZ service centre in Lusaka as people will verify documents through an online system.